GHR Foundation's Higher Education funding promotes innovative, values-based Catholic education that creates positive transformation in individuals, communities and the world. GHR recently awarded an $18 million grant to St. Catherine University to support growth and innovation in healthcare education.

The grant aligns the missions of both organizations by fostering hope and opportunity for students in the healthcare arena, while honoring GHR co-founder and St. Catherine University alumna, Henrietta Schmoll Rauenhorst. The investment supports the ongoing expansion of the Henrietta Schmoll School of Health. In accepting the grant, St. Catherine University President Andrea Lee noted that “this generous gift inspires both gratitude and excitement in all of us at St. Catherine – gratitude for the expansive vision and generosity of the GHR Foundation and its founders, and excitement at the transformative impact this gift will have on the groundbreaking work of the Henrietta Schmoll School of Health.”

St. Catherine University will use the grant to develop new programs and fund technology and faculty as it addresses the critical and ever-changing needs in senior living, primary care and global health. "GHR Foundation is pleased to support St. Catherine University as it strengthens its globally-focused, collaborative approach to educating a diverse student population and addresses the extreme shortage of skilled healthcare professionals," said GHR CEO and Chair Amy Goldman. "Through this gift, GHR honors and advances our founders' values by deepening the impact of the Henrietta Schmoll School of Health."

To learn more about GHR’s support of higher education institutions in their pursuits to deliver programmatic excellence and graduate world-class scholars who exhibit a strong moral and ethical core, contact us.

GHR Foundation’s Catholic Schools Initiative works to close the achievement gap, in part, by incubating new education models. Blended learning, which focuses on several elements including professional development and strengthening leadership capacity, is an approach GHR is currently funding at three Twin Cities Catholic schools. Jane Bona, principal of Immaculate Conception—one of these three schools—was recently honored with an award from National Catholic Education Association (NCEA), recognizing her excellence as a principal. Members of the GHR board visited Jane and Immaculate Conception during a program and results committee meeting in Sept. 2014.

At the annual NCEA convention in March, Jane will receive the Lead. Learn. Proclaim. award, recognizing excellence and distinguished service in Catholic school education. As new models are adopted, effective school leaders are increasingly necessary. Blended learning requires spaces which encourage dialogue and reflection facilitated by competent leadership. With professional development and culture as two important aspects of the blended learning program, this NCEA recognition is an important indicator of success at Immaculate Conception.

Immaculate Conception is an excellent example of how GHR is funding blended learning and other innovative approaches in hopes of strengthening urban Catholic schools by fostering healthy school cultures and cultivating strong, caring leaders. To learn more about GHR's Catholic school funding, contact us.